X Mangave plant named ‘Catch a Wave’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique X  Mangave  plant named ‘Catch a Wave’ characterized by a compact mound of bluish-green, thick, lanceolate, coarsely sinuate, folded to concaved foliage. Marginal and apical spines are soft and flexible. Leaves develop small, irregular, greyed-purple spots with strong ultra violet light. The new plants is suitable for the garden landscape or as a potted plant in the garden or around the home.

Botanical classification: hybrid; x Mangave times Agave.

Variety denomination: ‘Catch a Wave’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct X Mangave hybridplant, X Mangave ‘Catch a Wave’ hybridized by the inventor at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA as cross between aproprietary, unreleased, hybrid known as X Mangave H10-2 (not patented)as the female or seed parent times an unnamed selection of Agavecolorata (not patented) as the male or pollen parent. The cross wasperformed in the Apr. 10, 2012 and seeds were harvested and sown lateron Aug. 1, 2012. Through trials at the same nursery the plant wasoriginally assigned the breeder code XMANG-12-19-10. The new plant hasbeen successfully asexually propagated initially by division at the samenursery in Zeeland, Mich. and also by sterile shoot-tip tissue culture.Both methods of asexual propagation systems have been found to producestable and identical plants that maintain all the unique characteristicsof the original plant.

No plants of X Mangave ‘Catch a Wave’ have been sold, under this or anyname, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing ofthis application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been madeprior to the filing of this application with the exception of that whichwas disclosed or sold within one year of the filing of this application,and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

X Mangave ‘Catch a Wave’ differs from its parents as well as all otherManfreda, Agave and X Mangave known to the applicant. Compared with thefemale parent the foliage of the new plant is shorter and more compact,the foliage is broader and thicker with larger marginal spines. Comparedwith the male parent the new plant has longer more lanceolate foliagewith more dark green to purple-colored spotting and the teeth are not ashard. The most similar known cultivars are X Mangave ‘Silver Fox’co-pending U.S. Plant Patent Application and X Mangave ‘Tooth Fairy’co-pending U.S. Plant Patent Application. Compared with ‘Silver Fox’ thenew plant has longer, less glaucous leaves that are more coarselysinuate, with softer marginal spines and the coloration is less purplespotted. Compared with ‘Tooth Fairy’ the new plant has longer, morecoarsely sinuate foliage that has smaller, softer and less pigmentedmarginal spines.

The new plant, ‘Catch a Wave’, is unique from each of the abovecultivars and all Agave, X Mangave and Manfreda known to the inventor bythe following combined traits:

-   -   1. Compact mound of thick, lanceolate, coarsely sinuate foliage,        folded to concaved;    -   2. Bluish-green foliage develops heavy, irregular, greyed-purple        spots with strong ultra-violet light;    -   3. Teeth on leaves are soft and very flexible;    -   4. Moderate to rapid growth rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The drawing of x Mangave ‘Catch a Wave’ demonstrates the overallappearance of a three-year-old plant grown in a container in agreenhouse with supplemental water and fertilizer as needed. The colorsare as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambientlight spectrum, temperature, source and direction may cause theappearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the new plant foliage, marginal teeth andapical spines.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the new plant showing the coarse wave of theleaves.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, X Mangave ‘Catch aWave’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a three-year-old plant in a commercial wholesalegreenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental water and fertilizer asneeded.

-   Parentage: X Mangave H10-2 as female (seed) patent consisting of a    proprietary unreleased Manfreda maculosa (not patented) times a    proprietary unreleased Agave gypsophila (not patented) and Agave    colorata as male (pollen) parent;-   Propagation: Division of side shoots and sterile shoot-tip tissue    culture;-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About 21 days;-   Growth rate: Moderate to rapid;-   Crop time: About 12 to 14 weeks to finish in a 3.8 liter container    from a 35 mm tissue culture growing at about 21° C.;-   Rooting habit: fleshy, lightly branching, with roots up to 15 cm    long;-   Root color: Variable depending on grow activity, and soil; between    nearest RHS NN155C and RHS 161C;-   Plant shape and habit: Succulent, frost-tender, herbaceous perennial    with basal rosettes of about 16 leaves radially emerging outwardly    from central stem, producing a radially-symmetrical, rounded mound;-   Plant size: Foliage height about 50.0 cm tall from soil line to the    top of the leaves and about 76.0 cm wide at the widest point    slightly above soil line in container;-   Foliage description: Lanceolate; simple; margins dentate with    flexible teeth; thick; lightly glaucous abaxial and adaxial;    glabrous abaxial and adaxial; teeth about 3.0 mm long and spaced    about six teeth per 10 cm with flexible spine; apex acute with    flexible terminal spine; truncate sessile base; partially    conduplicate; coarsely sinuate; with greyed-purple spots about 1.0    mm to 3.0 mm in diameter;-   Leaf size: To about 25.0 cm long, about 6.0 cm wide approximately    two-thirds toward apex; and about 6.0 mm thick at base; average    about 18.5 cm long, 4.8 cm wide and 5.5 mm thick;-   Foliage fragrance: None observed;-   Leaf blade color:    -   -   Adaxial (young).—Nearest RHS 138B with spots intensifying            with ultraviolet light exposure from the sun to between RHS            N187B and RHS N187A; Abaxial (young): nearest RHS N138B with            spots intensifying with ultraviolet sunlight exposure to            tinted between RHS N187B and RHS N187A.        -   Adaxial (mature).—Nearest RHS NN137A with light glaucous            coating where not washed away, and with spots intensifying            with ultraviolet sunlight exposure tinted between RHS N187B            and RHS N187A; Abaxial (mature): blend between RHS 189A and            RHS 138A with light glaucous coating where not washed away.        -   Teeth.—Nearest RHS 190B.-   Petiole: Leaves sessile;-   Veins: Parallel; not distinct abaxial or adaxial;-   Inflorescence description: Upright panicle with flowers clustered at    about 18 nodes; about 90 flowers in distal 48.0 cm of peduncle;-   Peduncle: Terete; glabrous, glaucous; stiff; strong; erect; to about    176 cm tall and 2.0 cm diameter at base;-   Peduncle color: Blend between RHS N187B and RHS N189C;-   Peduncle bracts: Linear; narrowly acute apex; truncate clasping    base; margin dentate with teeth about 1.0 mm long; about 21 bracts    below flowers and about 18 flowering node bracts; to about 24.0 cm    long and 3.0 cm wide in proximal region decreasing to about 30.0 mm    long and 25.0 mm wide in distal region; drying before flower    anthesis;-   Peduncle bract color: Same as foliage before drying;-   Pedicel: Terete; glaucous; glabrous; variable length from 2.0 mm to    4.0 mm long and about 3.0 mm diameter;-   Pedicel color: Blend between RHS 146D and RHS 144A;-   Buds one day prior to opening: Elongated globose with tube base;    about 5.5 cm long and about 12.0 mm diameter mid-tepal and tube    about 9.0 mm diameter;-   Bud color: Basal two-thirds nearest RHS 146B and distal one-third    strongly blushed with N187A;-   Flower description: Perfect; campanulate; actinomorphic; about 9.5    cm long from base of ovary to tip of anthers and 2.3 cm wide at    anthers and 18.0 mm wide at tip of tepals; with abundant sweet    nectar;-   Flower period: Individual flowers lasting up to 3 days; flowering    when mature, frequently late winter to early spring under greenhouse    conditions in Michigan; flowering for about three weeks;-   Flower fragrance: Lightly sweet;-   Tepals: Six in two sets of three; glaucous abaxial and slightly    lustrous adaxial; glabrous both adaxial and abaxial; acute apex and    fused base; outer set about 3.4 cm long and 9.5 mm wide at fusion,    inner set about 3.3 cm long and 8.0 mm wide at fusion;-   Tepal color: Outer set abaxial base nearest RHS 146B, distal 12.0 mm    strongly blushed with RHS N187A, outer set adaxial base nearest RHS    145C, distal 12.0 mm strongly blushed with RHS N186C; inner set    abaxial 1.0 mm margin blend between RHS 146D and RHS 152D, base    blend between RHS 138A and RHS 144A, distally blend between RHS 167C    and RHS 146D, inner set adaxial base nearest RHS 145C, distally    blushed with nearest RHS N186C;-   Androecium: Six;    -   -   Filaments.—Six; exserted; terete distally, slightly            applanate proximally; stiff and straight; adnate to inner            corolla in proximal 8.0 mm; to about 6.4 cm long and 1.5 mm            diameter; color nearest RHS N186C in proximal 3.5 cm,            transitioning to nearest RHS 155A heavily maculate in distal            15.0 mm with spots nearest RHS N186C.        -   Anthers.—Dorsifixed; longitudinal; tips curved backwards            toward attachment point upon dehiscence; about 19.0 mm long            and 2.0 mm wide; color between RHS 151D and RHS N144A and            maculate with RHS N186C.        -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 6A.-   Gynoecium: Inferior; 9.0 cm long;    -   -   Style.—Terete; glabrous; about 6.5 cm long and 2.0 mm            diameter at base; color blend between RHS 151D and N144A            maculate with nearest RHS N186C to nearly solid RHS N186C in            proximal 3.5 cm.        -   Stigma turbinate, apex tri-lobed.—About 2.5 mm tall and 3.5            mm across; color nearest RHS 177B with top stigmatic surface            nearest RHS 196A.        -   Ovary.—Inferior; ellipsoidal; slightly fluted; 1.5 cm long            and 7.0 mm diameter in center: color blend between RHS 146D            and RHS 144A.-   Fruit and seed: Not observed;-   Disease resistance: X Mangave ‘Catch a Wave’ has not been observed    to be resistant to diseases beyond that which is normal for X    Mangave, Agave or Manfreda. The new plant is xeromorphic and    survives well with minimal water once established. The new plant is    hardy to least USDA zone 10. Full extent of winter hardiness has not    been tested.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental X Mangaveplant named ‘Catch a Wave’ as herein described and illustrated.